Rory Markham: One to Watch in 2009

A welterweight fight has been signed between two UFC newcomers at UFC 95. England’s own Dan Hardy will be taking on former IFL standout Rory Markham as part of the televised portion of the show headlined by Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson. Easy money says the show will be on SpikeTV, because as much as I’m looking forward to Sanchez/Stevenson, as doesn’t really scream “PPV.”

Markham is actually my fighter to watch in 2009. Most of the Militech Fighting Systems fighters are worth keeping an eye on purely on pedigree, but I was actually a fan of his in the IFL. He’s like a younger, doesn’t piss me off version of Matt Hughes, and while the 170 division is pretty jacked, I fully expect him to be a contender for the title by the end of the year.
He was also a finalist for the 2008 “You Got Knocked the Fuck Out” Award thanks to a kick to Brodie Farber’s head. I don’t really go for showboating, but when you kick a guy so hard you know you knocked him out on impact, I’ll give Markham a pass for strutting away before Farber hit the ground.